INTERVENTION
BY EDDIE IROH
Those who know me and my antecedents in
public affairs can vouch for one thing: I am not a praise singer. They
will also attest that I belong to only one political party – FRN: The
Federal Republic of Nigeria. It is from this non-partisan standpoint
that I have been able to look at Nigerian issues and affairs objectively
and comment on them quite dispassionately over the years.
It is against this backdrop that I took
my reporter’s notebook, a physician’s stethoscope, and a laboratory
technician’s microscope to examine why so many people and institutions
across the usually bitterly divided Nigerian political spectrum are
pouring encomiums on Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State. And this is
at a time when few governors can claim to be popular; most are unable to
meet their constitutional and statutory obligations like paying
workers’ salaries and contractors’ debts; indeed at a time when
recession has taken a huge bite off the fabled national cake, and has
become a ready excuse for explaining these failures, let alone have
extra resources for infrastructure and other capital development
projects.
First there is Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari,
the APC governor of Zamfara State, an unlikely admirer of a PDP rival in
a Nigeria where political bitterness and rivalry are synonymous with
enmity, doing the unthinkable. Yari who is also the Chairman of the
Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) crossed ethnic, zonal, geographical and
party lines, indeed “crossed carpet”, to pay fulsome compliments to
Wike. On a visit to Rivers State and after seeing things for himself
Yari had this to say: “It is quite commendable that Governor Wike has
managed to come up with some programmes for the betterment of the people
of Rivers State.” Yari continued: “This is in spite of the economic
crisis in our hands which we are all trying to manage.”
At other times in Nigeria’s often
volatile political climate, Yari might have been suspended by his party
or even expelled for what will be termed “anti-party activities”, for
crossing into the camp of the “enemy” and even commending the
achievements of a governor from an opposition political party! What
sacrilege!
If Yari is a politician and may be
accused, even if unfairly, of being diplomatic with his host, you cannot
say the same about the gatekeepers of the Nigerian Fourth Estate. On an
earlier occasion the Nigerian Guild of Editors, a body of top media
chieftains, highlighted Wike’s accomplishments in the areas of not just
economic development but most importantly security, without which any
form of development in any society would be almost impossible. Indeed,
kidnapping and armed robbery were rampant fare in pre-Wike Rivers State,
such that Ms. Donu Kogbara, arguably the most famous journalist from
the state, was kidnapped and held hostage for one week by an armed gang
which also terrorised her 79-year-old mother.
In a communique issued by the guild at
the end of their executive committee meeting in Port Harcourt the state
capital, the NGE commended Wike for the steps he has taken to improve
the state of security in Rivers. With the improved state of affairs,
Port Harcourt, which those of us who grew up there fondly nicknamed
Pitakwa, “The Garden City” has once again become a conference and
retreat destination for various organisations like the Nigerian Bar
Association (NBA) and Rotary International.
Among the myriad bodies and groups that
have praised Wike are the River State Elders Consultative Council and a
former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Austin
Opara. Some may suggest that these are indigenes of the state and have
vested interests. But when two national newspapers with disparate
ideologies and editorial outlook unanimously but independently elected
to honour Wike for his achievements then it is only fit and proper that
we take note and raise the question of whether there are lessons that
other state governors can learn and implement in their own situation for
the betterment of their states in particular and Nigeria in general.
For in an interdependent federation like Nigeria, where resources by and
large depend on federal largesse, the country is as strong as its
weakest link.
First, The Sun Media Group chose Wike as
their Sun Man of the Year 2016. Then The Independent newspaper chose
Wike as The Best Nigerian Governor in 2016, for defying the recession
and breaking new grounds in infrastructure and human resources
development in Rivers State. From the USA, Asia and other parts of the
world, a coalition of Rivers State indigenes weighed in and joined the
chorus of applause for Wike for fulfilling the legitimate expectations
of his people, citing road and agricultural projects that have had
direct impact on the populace.
The probing, begging question here is:
what factors account for Wike’s success in an economic environment of
reduced revenue intake and depressed national economic outlook? What
accounts for the success of Rivers State when many other states in the
federation are barely managing to keep body and soul together, to keep
their heads above water even after federal bailout?
To be absolutely fair, it is important
to note and to keep matters in perspective that Rivers State, as one of
the half a dozen or so states that comprise the oil-rich Niger Delta
region that accounts for 80 per cent of the Nigerian treasury. Thus
Rivers, like other states in the region, receives a commensurate
percentage of federal oil revenue following the principle of
derivation. One can rightly also argue that even in a situation of
falling oil prices and disruption of local production caused by
militancy in the Niger Delta region, and consequently diminished federal
oil revenue and allocation to the states, River State’s share is still
much higher than those of the non-oil producing states.
But that is only half the story. Wike
has proved that his state cannot live by revenue from crude oil
alone. He has proved that there can conceivably be life after crude
oil. Wike did what many Nigerian leaders rarely pay attention to –
income tax collection and other forms of internal revenue generation. In
less than two years in office he more than doubled the internally
generated revenue of the state from N4 billion to N9 billion.
Of course one can have all the money in
the world and still miss the boat. We know of some governors in the same
Niger Delta who got massive oil revenue and ploughed it into their
personal treasuries and invested it in choice properties abroad and
personal luxuries. Still money alone cannot achieve development. The
decisive factor in statecraft is the human element, in this case
leadership. I believe this is where Nyesom Wike has considerable
advantage.
Unlike many leaders in Nigeria over the
years who found themselves in positions of power by some fluke of faith,
or had power thrust upon them, Wike is no accidental public servant. As
we would say in local journalistic parlance, Wike has paid his dues.
The man is a living example of the value of apprenticeship in politics,
something not quite common in Nigeria where hardly any Nigerian governor
has allowed his deputy, a person who had under-studied him for eight
years, to succeed him. Wike went about his political career via the
grassroots of local government administration.
Yes, Wike is a lawyer which is more than
enough qualification to propel him from his law chambers to bid for
governorship of his state. But he chose the route of local government
administration and eventually became chairman of his local government
council in Obio Akpor for eight years, and rose to become President of
the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON). It was from here
that his then political godfather, Rotimi Amaechi poached Wike, first
as his chief of staff, and subsequently to mastermind his gubernatorial
campaign in 2011. His successes in these endeavours catapulted him to
the federal level, where he was a minister for four years.
Wike’s successes in these various
positions afforded him priceless experience and valuable insights into
the challenges of governance at the local, state and federal levels, and
provided him the tools he brought with him to tackle similar challenges
in Rivers State. By the time he made a bid for the governorship of the
state in 2015, Wike was well equipped, ready, willing and able. Wike
left us another lesson here, namely that in politics things do not just
happen; people in power make them happen.
The final point to consider here in
understanding the nationwide applause being accorded Wike is the
political and legal hurdles that he has had to surmount even as he was
tackling the challenges of statecraft in Rivers State. As often happens
in Nigerian politics, the relationship between the two erstwhile
political allies, Amaechi and Wike, deteriorated quite dramatically as
they found themselves in two opposing political camps, the All Peoples
Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), respectively.
In more tolerant political climes, the
two erstwhile buddies could have separated their personal comradeship
from heir political differences. But in the do-or-die political
atmosphere of Nigeria, it was all out war and no holds were barred when
Wike contested the governorship on the platform of the PDP which had
ruled the state since 1999 even under Amaechi. Wike had faced a
herculean task because Amaechi, now a chieftain of the APC, was under
pressure to deliver his state to his new party. Wike’s eventual victory
was challenged by the APC in court where his victory was reaffirmed. But
the tension and the rancour did not disappear immediately.
Irrespective, Wike has soldiered on to achieve the remarkable success
for which he is being applauded and honoured by his peers as well as his
subjects, and honoured by two media houses.
Late U.S. President John F Kennedy once
defined courage as “grace under pressure”. Wike’s achievements in less
than two years in the teeth of rival opposition, pressure and prejudice,
seemed like mission impossible. But time has proved his record as a
testament to remarkable personal ability and political courage. As
Nigerians will say, his is an honour well deserved.
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